The Pastime Places of Śrī Vṛndāvana

Bhagavatī Yamunā

Mahārānī Yamunā has the same darkish blue complexion as Kṛṣṇa. She assists in the playful amorous pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala in every respect, and flows on three sides of Vṛndāvana. To fully support the rasa-vilāsa of Priyā-Priyatama, she creates countless charming nikuñjas on both her banks with various kinds of dense trees and creepers laden with flowers and fruits. She is ornamented and beautified with divine ghāṭas bedecked with jewels, and with various bowers made from kadamba, tamāla, āmra, bakula and other types of trees. The Divine Couple Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa perform water pastimes and boating pastimes with the sakhīs in the waters of Śrī Yamunā. This water is saturated with prema and is always decorated with seven-petalled lotuses. This Bhagavatī Yamunā, who serves the Youthful Couple eternally, is supremely worshipful. In Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka (5.35) Śrīla Kavi-karṇapura glorifies Śrī Yamunā-devī as follows (also quoted in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.28):

cid-ānanda-bhānoḥ sadā nanda-sūnoḥ para-prema-pātrī drava-brahma-gātrī aghānāṁ lavitrī jagat-kṣema-dhātrī pavitrī-kriyān no vapur-mitra-putrī

[I repeatedly offer prayers to Śrī Yamunā, the daughter of the Sungod, who is the bestower of unnata-ujjvala prema for Nanda-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental sun. She embodies transcendental bliss and directly personifies the melted form of Parabrahma. Simply remembering her destroys all types of wickedness and great sins, thus rendering the heart pure. She bestows all auspiciousness upon the world, and can even infuse vraja-rasa into dry, desert-like hearts. May she purify us.]

gaṅgādi-tīrtha-pariṣevita-pāda-padmāṁ goloka-saukhya-rasa-pūramahiṁ mahimnā āplāvitākhila-sudhāsu-jalāṁ sukhābdhau rādhā-mukunda-muditāṁ yamunāṁ namāmi

[I offer obeisances time and again unto the beloved of Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Yamunā, whose lotus feet are always served by Gaṅgā, Godāvarī, Narmadā, Sindhu and other tīrthas. Śrī Yamunā is glorious as it is she who bestows service that is saturated with rasa to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Yugala in Goloka-Vṛndāvana. In her nectar-filled waters, Śrī Rādhā-Mukunda remain immersed in an ocean of happiness.]

Sonaraka

This place lies about one mile west of the present day Kālīya-daha. Saubhari Ṛṣi’s hermitage was here. Before the time of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Saubhari Ṛṣi performed austerities here for thousands of years. To conquer his senses, he remained standing in the water of the Yamunā during all seasons, including summer and winter. One day Garuḍa, an associate of the Supreme Lord, arrived here. Following his nature as a bird, he swallowed a big male fish right before everyone’s eyes. Seeing this, the fish community lamented and prayed to Saubhari Ṛṣi for retaliation. Engrossed in dry austerities and unaware of the glories of Bhagavān’s devotees, Saubhari Ṛṣi cursed Garuḍa, saying that if he were to come here again, his head would be cut off. Saubhari Ṛṣi had cursed a great devotee, and, therefore, a desire arose in his heart to enjoy the material world. He came out of the waters of the Yamunā, and by his mystic power transformed himself into a young man. He married the many beautiful young daughters of Mahārāja Māndhāta, and remained engrossed in worldly pleasures for thousands of years. By the desire of Bhagavān, the Kālīya serpent later moved to that same Yamunā pond with his family, in order to protect himself from the very powerful Garuḍa. This rendered the water in the pond poisonous, and all the fish living here, who had also committed an offence towards Garuḍa, died. In this way, Saubhari Ṛṣi and all the fish that had taken shelter of him faced total destruction, because they had committed an offence towards a bhakta. The scriptures therefore declare that one should at all costs refrain from committing Vaiṣṇava aparādha.

Kālīya-hrada (Kālīya-daha)

[Hrada and daha both mean “a deep pool within a river”.] The current name of this place is Kālīya-daha. Śrī Kṛṣṇa subdued the serpent Kālīya here. The keli-kadamba tree from which Śrī Kṛṣṇa jumped with great speed into the Kālīya-hrada stands nearby. All of the trees and creepers around the lake were burnt to ashes by the poison of the Kālīya serpent. Only this one keli-kadamba tree remained. The mighty and valiant Garuḍa was once carrying a pot of nectar from the heavenly planets in order to free his mother Vinatā from the slavery of his stepmother Kadrū. He rested on this keli-kadamba tree for some time, and the strength of the nectar’s fragrance, or a drop of the nectar itself that had spilled, was enough to save this keli-kadamba tree. Kālīyanāga was also very valiant and powerful. When he tied Kṛṣṇa in his coils, Kṛṣṇa became somewhat helpless and motionless. At that time, the Nāgapatnīs (wives of Kālīya), who were great devotees of Kṛṣṇa, prayed, “We would rather be widows than be the wives of a husband opposed to Bhagavān.” But when Kṛṣṇa freed Himself from the serpent’s coils and began to dance on and kick Kālīya’s hoods, Kālīya vomited blood from his thousands of mouths and surrendered unto the Lord. At that time, the Nāgapatnīs folded their hands and begged Kṛṣṇa to spare their husband’s life, considering his surrendered mood. Their prayers pleased Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He granted Kālīyanāga freedom from fear and ordered him to go to Ramaṇaka-dvīpa with his family. He assured Kālīya of His protection, saying, “You need no longer fear Garuḍa. When he sees My footprints on your hoods, he will forget his enmity towards you.” The Nāgapatnīs prayed as follows: “O Lord, Śrī Lakṣmī-devī gave up all her desires, took a vow and performed austerities for a long, long time just to attain the dust of Your lotus feet. She nonetheless failed to achieve her heart’s desire. Who knows what pious deed Kālīyanāga performed to become qualified to receive that same rare foot dust.” The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava commentators on this verse explain this beautifully: The sole reason why Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa bestowed His causeless mercy upon Kālīya was the spontaneous unmotivated devotion that Kālīyanāga’s wives had for Him. The Supreme Lord’s mercy follows and is obedient to the mercy of the devotee.

Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī ’s bhajana-kuṭī & samādhi

Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī is the author of Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi, Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta, Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛta, Saṅgīta-mādhava and other books on bhakti. In his early life, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī was a resident of Śrī Raṅgam and a devotee of Śrī Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. He is the paternal uncle and spiritual master of the famous Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. However, by the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, he became intoxicated with the rasa of the Divine Couple Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Shortly after Śrīman Mahāprabhu left Śrī Raṅgam, he went to Vṛndāvana to perform bhajana. He also lived in Kāmyavana for some time. At the end of his life he entered samādhi here in Vṛndāvana while performing bhajana. In Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes he is Tuṅgavidyā Sakhī. Nowadays, some people say that Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī and the advaitavādī Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī of Kāśī are one and the same person. This is completely incorrect in every respect. How is it possible for the same person to first be the devotee Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, then the impersonalist Prakāśānanda and then the same Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī once again? This modern doctrine is an ignorant, mind-boggling speculation, that has been completely refuted by the Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas.

Dvādaś āditya-ṭīlā

It was winter when Kṛṣṇa subdued Kālīya. Kṛṣṇa, who was performing His human-like pastimes (nara-līlā), came out of the water, shivering due to cold. He climbed upon a nearby small hill ( ṭīlā) and basked in the heat of the sun. To serve Kṛṣṇa, the devotee Sūryadeva relieved His shivering by shining forth the full scorching heat of the complete sun in its twelve aspects (dvādaśa kalā). This place is therefore known as Dvādaśāditya-ṭīlā.

Praskandana-kṣetra

The heat of the sun removed Kṛṣṇa’s shivering, but this heat was excessive and Kṛṣṇa started to perspire. The name of this place thus became Praskandana-tīrtha; the word praskandana means “with perspiration”.

Advaitavaṭa

Advaitavaṭa is situated directly in Praskandana-tīrtha. Just before the advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Advaita Ācārya came to this place while journeying through Vraja. He resided under this same banyan (vaṭa) tree for several days. He had found Śrī Madana-Gopāla in Mahāvana-Gokula, and now served Him here. Due to fear of the Yavanas, and by His desire, He secretly left Śrī Madana-Gopāla with a devoted Caube brāhmaṇa and went to Śāntipura, knowing that very soon Śacīnandana Śrī Gaurahari would appear in the town of Nadiyā. Later, that same Madana-Gopāla made His way to Sanātana Gosvāmī, who had a large temple constructed just nearby and established the deity there. Since then, Śrī Madana-Gopāla became known as Śrī Madana-mohana.

Dāna-galī, Māna-galī, Gumāna-galī & Kuñja-galī

Just near the famous Sevā-kuñja are four narrow galīs, or alleys: Dāna-galī, Māna-galī, Gumāna-galī and Kuñja-galī. Once, when Śrīmatī Rādhikā was in māna, She made Her way to Māna-sarovara via this very Māna-galī. In the narrow alley named Dāna-galī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His sakhās asked the gopīs for tax (dāna) in the form of prema, and the gopīs asked the same thing from Kṛṣṇa. This galī is therefore known as Dāna-galī. Prema-galī is where Kiśora-Kiśorījī’s first meeting took place. At that moment, by the mutual play of Their eyes, a relationship of prema was established between Them which increased moment by moment. That is why this galī has become known as Prema-galī. Some also call it Gumāna-galī, because when Kṛṣṇa asked Priyājī for tax, She exhibited great pride ( gumāna), and refused to give it. The galī down which the sakhīs would make their way to Sevā-kuñja, where Śrī Kṛṣṇa would massage the feet of svādhīna-bhartṛkā Śrī Rādhā, is called Kuñja-galī. Śrī Dāna-bihārī and Śrī Rūpa-Sanātana Gauḍīya Maṭha are situated at the crossing of these four galīs.